Scan barcode
A review by aksmith92
One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Elspeth had to have fallen/slipped AT LEAST 400 times in this book. No lie.
I honestly had a decent time with this book. I enjoyed Rachel Gillig's writing and prose and thought the dark/mysterious component was a nice touch. Additionally, I must say I liked the plot a lot. I haven't read something like this before, and I thought it was a unique take on a fantasy novel. Something about a magical set of cards intrigued me, and I think Gilliig's world-building was solid.
What I didn't love were the characters too much, including Elspeth herself. Yes, we meet Elspeth when she has been generally a recluse as she needs to hide away from some people, but Elspeth was just so blah to me. I LOVED The Nightmare, though. But Elspeth was just eh, and I struggle to find specific reasons - maybe she was always slipping and wearing a dress in silly times or making her way to greet people when she really should have stayed hidden. The romance was decently done - I love a slow burn, and when a relationship begins with tension that turns tender. Overall I liked it, but my slight dislike for Elspeth swayed my opinion about the relationship as a whole.
There is also a little fairy tale villain in this that just made me grind my gears. Why was this character like that? What in the character's background made this whole thing make sense? Thirst for power is not (and should not be) a whole character identity without additional context.
Regardless, it was still a decent and fun read, and would recommend it for an intriguing little fantasy novel, particularly in the Fall/Winter.
I honestly had a decent time with this book. I enjoyed Rachel Gillig's writing and prose and thought the dark/mysterious component was a nice touch. Additionally, I must say I liked the plot a lot. I haven't read something like this before, and I thought it was a unique take on a fantasy novel. Something about a magical set of cards intrigued me, and I think Gilliig's world-building was solid.
What I didn't love were the characters too much, including Elspeth herself. Yes, we meet Elspeth when she has been generally a recluse as she needs to hide away from some people, but Elspeth was just so blah to me. I LOVED The Nightmare, though. But Elspeth was just eh, and I struggle to find specific reasons - maybe she was always slipping and wearing a dress in silly times or making her way to greet people when she really should have stayed hidden. The romance was decently done - I love a slow burn, and when a relationship begins with tension that turns tender. Overall I liked it, but my slight dislike for Elspeth swayed my opinion about the relationship as a whole.
There is also a little fairy tale villain in this that just made me grind my gears. Why was this character like that? What in the character's background made this whole thing make sense? Thirst for power is not (and should not be) a whole character identity without additional context.
Regardless, it was still a decent and fun read, and would recommend it for an intriguing little fantasy novel, particularly in the Fall/Winter.